Faith
and Light was born of a desire to help people with an intellectual
disability and their families find their place within the Church and
society. This was the main purpose of the organized pilgrimage to
Lourdes at Easter of 1971.
In order that the gifts of this pilgrimage would not be lost, it was
necessary for the participants to be members of a community that
brought together people with an intellectual disability, their parents
and friends, especially young people.
Following this event, which was a time of great blessings, a great
number of communities maintained and deepened the links that had been
created between their members. In the course of the years other
communities were created throughout the world, developing in different
Christian denominations.
Today the international association of Faith
and Light brings together 1495 communities which are developing in 78
countries, across six "continents".
Faith
and Light is a community movement. At the heart of these communities
are people with a more or less serious intellectual disability:
children, adolescents or adults. They are surrounded by their family
and friends, especially young people.
Faith and Light gives to persons with an intellectual disability the
possibility of recognizing and using their gifts and discovering the
joy of friendship.
To the parents, Faith and Light gives support in their trials and helps
them to better appreciate the inner beauty of their children. A number
of them, in turn, become a source of strength and an assistance to
other parents who are crushed by their suffering and their daily
difficulties. A
Faith and Light community meet regularly, at least once a month. These
meetings are the time of celebration, sharing, reflection and prayer. Friendship
deepens through time and presence. Between the monthly gatherings the
members of the community choose to spend time together in smaller
groups or just meeting one-to-one. They share stories, fears, dreams,
hope, prayer, fun, service with others, a meal, and other activities
which nurture friendship: it is “ the time offidelity “, also called
the "fourth time". In the community each person is important, is
precious.
To create supportive links between the members or different
communities, we organize summer camps and pilgrimages.

In Tg-Mures the FL community was created in 1990. The Clever Hands
Foundation have the roots in this community.